So, the two people who were just struck down by the Golden Buddha Statue had actually been Demon Fiends in disguise! And no one had noticed a thing. The methods of these Demon Fiends were truly formidable.

'So they were Demon Fiends?'

Yang An glanced at the two pools of blood on the ground and caught the foul stench of death spreading from them. However, the odor was instantly purged by the thick scent of incense the moment it appeared.

'Definitely Demon Fiends.' 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

'Now that the Demon Fiends have been eliminated, there are only eighty-five people left.'

"My Three Gates of Great Virtue and Heart Examination are the 'Truth Testing,' the 'Test of Falsehood,' and the 'Test of Goodness.' Those who pass all three gates may proceed to Liuli.

You are all Cultivators, and all of you are here for this Buddhist Assembly by fate. You must not entertain any thoughts of getting by on pure luck."

Still with his back to the crowd, Elder Monk De Hou spoke slowly.

The moment his voice faded, he raised a hand and gave it a gentle wave. Instantly, the entire Yin Huan Hall underwent an earth-shattering transformation.

Before their very eyes, amidst the bright glow of countless incense candles, their surroundings plunged into a gray, hazy expanse. They could still clearly see each point of flame, but nothing else around them.

The Golden Buddha Statues and offering tables in the hall vanished without a trace. It was as if they had stepped into a surreal, dreamlike space.

Elder Monk De Hou and the monk who had led them there also vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.

Just as everyone was utterly bewildered, Elder Monk De Hou's voice resounded from all directions, seemingly omnipresent.

"The first gate is the Truth Testing!"

As his voice echoed, a humming sound suddenly reverberated all around them, as if something was materializing.

Amidst the bright yet hazy glow of the flames, rows of identical yet solemn Golden Buddha Statues rapidly materialized, sprouting up one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

The crowd found themselves standing amidst these Golden Buddha Statues, their hearts filled with astonishment as they gazed upon the seemingly endless rows stretching out before them.

There were far too many statues. Each was the size of a grown man, and they were everywhere, stretching out in all directions. They were simply impossible to count.

"There are a total of twelve thousand, three hundred and seventy-nine Golden Bodies here.

One True Dharma Realm.

Two Attachments within.

Three Refuges concealed.

Seven Factors of Enlightenment born.

Nine Abodes of Mind in total!"

"You have until one stick of incense burns down to find the true body with your own heart, see through the illusions, and behold the True Buddha. Only then may you pass this gate!"

Elder Monk De Hou's voice echoed once more. Everyone looked up and saw that a thin stick of incense had been lit high in the air between three candles, wisps of faint smoke already rising from it.

'One stick of incense! That's all the time we have!'

Yang An understood Elder Monk De Hou's instructions. The task was actually quite simple: find the one True Buddha Golden Body among the twelve thousand, three hundred and seventy-nine Golden Statues. He just wasn't sure if the others had caught on.

'I can't worry about anyone else.' Everyone had seen the thin stick of incense starting to burn above their heads, and they all sprang into action.

Yang An was no exception. He had to get into the Great Virtue Temple. Elder Zhuan Yu had placed a Seal on him, and if he failed to complete this prerequisite mission, all of his subsequent plans would be for nothing. The consequences of that didn't bear thinking about.

He was surrounded by Golden Buddha Statues, a dazzling and bewildering sight.

Yang An started by carefully examining the nearest Golden Statue, as did everyone else.

However, whether judging by their aura or their physical features, the Golden Buddha Statues seemed completely identical. Even the most minute details were the same, as if they were all perfect replicas, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.

'Find the true body with my own heart, see through the illusions, and behold the True Buddha?'

Yang An thought back to Elder Monk De Hou's words, which had sounded like a hint for everyone.

But no matter how he mulled them over, he couldn't grasp the Zen-like riddle they contained.

Looking at the others around him, he saw a variety of approaches. Some had begun to boldly channel their Mana into the Golden Buddha Statues. Others sat cross-legged before them, as if in deep meditation. A few, even more audaciously, had resorted to physically striking the statues.

'Perhaps their logic was that the fakes would be unable to withstand the treatment, while only the real one would remain intact.'

Before they knew it, a fifth of the incense stick above had already burned away. The time allotted was far too short. Everyone was trying every method they could think of, not having expected the very first gate to be so difficult.

'How crude!'

Watching everyone around him display their various Divine Powers, Yang An shook his head, finding the scene rather distasteful.

He was different from the others.

He slowly raised his hand, touching a finger to the Golden Buddha Statue before him.

'I have an Appraiser!'

...